Gout is a painful, debilitating and progressive disease caused by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood stream. Gout is associated with elevated levels of uric acid that crystallize and deposit in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues. Gout is marked by recurrent attacks of red, tender, hot, and/or swollen joints. This leads to the deposition of painful, needle-like uric acid crystals in and around the connective tissue of the joints and in the kidneys, resulting in inflammation, the formation of disfiguring nodules, intermittent attacks of severe pain and kidney damage. In addition, evidence suggests that the chronic elevation of uric acid associated with gout, known as hyperuricemia, may also have systemic consequences, including an increased risk for kidney dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.
In 2008, approximately 8.3 million patients in the U.S., 6.4 million patients in the European Union and 2.9 million patients in Japan were diagnosed with gout. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in men over the age of 40 and represents a significant unmet medical need with limited treatment options.